#152 Moving Day
01 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Today, Deanna and I got the keys to what will be our first apartment together. Spent the day moving in her things.
I’m thankful that by the time we move in together we’ll be very much ready for it. Too ready for it, perhaps, but I’d much rather make this move too late than too early. That we’ll have gotten to know each other on so many different levels leading up to it, established a habit of seeking to understand and forgive each other, before the small space presents challenges of its own.
#153 Bring Recycling
02 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
One of my favorite Eugene discoveries thanks to Kaylyn – the Bring Recycling center. Imagine, if you will, a very hip and eco-conscious junkyard and there you have it.
Scored on some scrap wood and window panels all for wedding related projects. All those cutesy repurposing projects online tend to leave out the step of rummaging through old grimy pieces of hardware, but really, that’s a good chunk of the fun.
#154 Hindi-Urdu Class
03 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Tonight was our last class meeting with Tahira, so she brought us all presents from Pakistan. I’ve been wanting to add some new patterns into my wardrobe.
As she’s dubbed us, L to R: the modern one, the nefarious one, the Pakistani one.
#155 Time2Fly
04 June 2015 // Portland, Oregon
Camouflage. Shades. So incognito right now.
Tell no one of my whereabouts. (Fresno)
#146 The Fresno Strip
05 June 2015 // Fresno, California
People give Fresno a hard time, but how bad can it be when they’ve got this strip that is supposed to remind me of LA but in actuality reminds me of the scene in Shrek 2 where they’re driving into Far Far Away.
Fresno? Fres-yes! Well, at least Fres-maybe.
#157 Colin & Judy
06 June 2015 // Fresno, California
A very big congrats to these two! This wedding was so much fun.
Morning wedding and a fun reception and the rest of the day hanging out in the pool. It was a long, really fun day.
#158 Fresno Skies
07 June 2015 // Fresno, California
I dunno how often this gets said but I actually had a pretty swell time in Fresno!
Staying at a friend’s family farm, seeing a bunch of Deanna’s family, the wedding, pool party, hanging out with really strong and energetic puppies at a BBQ… lovely time!
#159 Three Years With Dee
08 June 2015 // Portland, Oregon
It’s official! We’ve finally broken even and we’ve been dating for as long as we were “just friends” prior to that.
Today was a nutty one- a flight, a concert, the two of us being our usual overambitious selves and planning more than could logically be accomplished in a day. Some really high points (Sufjan show) some unexpected surprises (all the restaurants I scouted being closed on Monday) and some unplanned sweet moments (our plane conversation.) In between our wedding, and a cousin’s wedding, it would’ve been easy for us to let this anniversary get away from us, and it for sure tried to, but in the end, all the craziness and surprises were just reminders that there’s nobody else I would have rather spent today- or the last three years- with.
#160 Wedding Advent
09 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Twelve days left.
Made Deanna this wedding day advent calendar for our anniversary.
By now she should be almost halfway through.
#161 Carrie & Lowell
10 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Saw Sufjan live for the third time the other night and I’m still digesting his performance. His song Eugene has been a favorite lately and the way he played it seemed like it might as well have been for the first time ever.
His other shows were more fun, partylike, and dancey. This one was serious and raw and he didn’t even start his awkward banter until he started playing older ones. All the stuff he played off the new album were beautiful, sweet, sad, and difficult, and all the Oregon references were fun to listen to with a Portland crowd.
#162 End of Year One
11 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
In the midst of a hectic and very full-slated week, this happened- done with my first year of grad school!
The end of a school year happened so quietly this year on the heels of everything else going on, but hey, it’s summer!
#163 The Global Soul
12 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
I exult in the fact I can see everywhere with a flexible eye; the very notion of home is foreign to me, as the state of foreignness is the closest thing I know to home.
—Pico Iyer
Pico Iyer is one of my favorite internationalists. Hopeful, not naïve. Well informed, not cynical. Even though this book was almost too introspective for me at times, I had a fun time reading it.
#164 The Martin Farm
13 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Had our end of the year bash at one of our professors’ farms, and with a view of the Sisters, farm is an understatement.
I’ve never looked forward to a summer the way I’m looking forward to this one.
#165 Avoiding the Rush
14 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Spent the good part of a Sunday afternoon outside with some iced tea, a fun book, and some sunshine. Really enjoying the outdoor areas to relax all voer our new apartment complex.
Looking forward to the wedding. This is the homestretch, which is why I’m trying to do everything in my power to slow it down and savor the time.
#166 Powersaw Work
15 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Got to spend the day out of doors, working with my hands and with this new electric handsaw that I picked up.
Pieced together a few signs and decorative items to be used for the wedding. Of the numerous chores I’ve had to do lately, this was for sure a fun one.
#167 One More Week
16 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Spent the day walking around the Whit with Deanna just to take a break from all the errands and things.
Today is a packing day, a last minute errands day, and a day to get as much as we can out of the way before tomorrow when the wheels are literally in motion. We’ll be bound for California and ready to get in that take-it-all-in spirit!
#168 Sure Sign of Summer
17 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
The grill is ready and in action!
I’ve had plenty of good summers in the past, and yet, I have reasonable expectations for this one to be the very best.
#169 Dee’s Last Day
18 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Waiting for Deanna to get off of work and come over so we can go on our date night to celebrate.
Today was her last day of work at a job that was really, really tough at times, but she really helped care for some people who needed it badly, despite all their challenges. For that I am so, so proud of her. And also, I’m thrilled that we can both go to California with work fully off both our minds!
#170 Dinner from Rob & Marie
19 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
What’s one of the nicest things somebody could do for Deanna and I on a really busy and chaotic week?
How about making us some daiquiris and flatbread nachos, and treating us to a night full of moments and conversations about so many things other than weddings. Really grateful to Rob and Marie for such a heartful sendoff.
#171 Packing the Volvo
20 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Spent the day doing one more big wedding chore… loading up the Volvo with all the things we’ll be needing to take to California to use as props at our wedding, including two massive logs, and all we’ll need for our honeymoon.
Really looking forward to the next day, where we’ll be hitting the road en route to our marriage and all that.
#172 Wedding Bound
21 June 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
We put doors on our roof, logs in our trunk, and lots and lots of decor in the car. Leaving Eugene and headed for California!
We’ll be in Sacramento by evening, then on to Bakersfield and then Santa Barbara and the rest of our lives and stuff. Cool, huh?
#173 The Silver Skillet
22 June 2015 // Sacramento, California
Good morning, America. Good morning, Silver Skillet truck stop diner! This place glows and oozes red, white, n blue.
And thank you April for the introduction to the best Sacramento has to offer the master and commander of an 18 wheeler.
#174 Hang in there, Luke
23 June 2015 // Bakersfield, California
Spent a good portion of the past couple days with the almost-nephews, and in a couple more days I get to stop calling them that.
Also, I made the fun discovery that they’re metal heads. Put on some Nightwish and they make any floor the dance floor.
#175 Inside Out
24 June 2015 // Bakersfield, California
Yesterday we went on our very last date as unmarried people. I think we chose well. This movie is very, very smart and Pete Docter is on a whole nother level.
It was also a good time to step out of wedding world for a bit, to not take phone calls and try and solve every problem for every person, and instead to enjoy time with each other and refocus on all the reasons we’re getting married.
#176 Bachelor Party
25 June 2015 // Santa Barbara, California
This was the most ridiculous and random assortment of guys to have thrown together in a single house for the weekend of my wedding. A lot of them didn’t know anybody else in the batch prior to everyone getting together, but I had my hunches that this motley crew would mesh in odd and chaotic and interesting ways.
Still, as a little insurance to make sure everybody would get along just well, I got them all ninja stars.
#177 Rehearsal Dinner
26 June 2015 // Santa Barbara, California
Tonight was the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner and it was so much, so much fun. Such a good shot of one of my favorite things about weddings.
Different people from so many different parts of my life, all the many different worlds God has given me to discover… cousins and roommates and Gauchos and Bakersfield friends and Deanna’s high school friends and LiNKers and almost-in-laws and aunts and Perlas and Arners and Fitzpatricks and Lazaros. This moment was exactly what I saw the instant I turned around in my seat and felt elated at how good it all was.
#178 Deanna & Philippe
27 June 2015 // Santa Barbara, California
Our wedding was on top of a small mountain overlooking the ocean-boundary of Santa Barbara. It was a perfect take off spot for paragliding, and had I known that, I might have planned a much cooler exit for Deanna and myself after we were pronounced husband and wife. Although in all honesty, I wouldn’t have changed any details about the day.
It was windy, but it would’ve taken a tornado to even come close to distracting me. I arrived an hour ahead of schedule, and mingled with all the different friends and family members coming up to greet me. Friends from New York and cousins from Illinois. We had people there from San Diego to Seoul.
I allowed myself to take a mental snapshot of all these people gathered in a single place.
Chi and Greg started to play the Ben Howard song, Old Pine. Two long-time friends at the start of their journey towards a music career. I stood next to my pastor from my college years. One of the truest things about mine and Deanna’s journey as a couple is that it is most definitely marked by the people in our lives. Thus, it took a while for our bridal party of twenty, plus our parents and nephews to walk down the aisle.
Then came Deanna. There are no words. Only the smile on her dad’s face, the scent of the ocean, and the collectively held breath of everyone on that mountain.
#179 The Wife
28 June 2015 // Santa Barbara, California
Morning after our wedding, we got breakfast as husband and wife at one of our favorite places in Santa Barbara.
It's a sweet, funny feeling having known Deanna for six or seven years and having dated for three but being just at the start of it all. And it's been one marvelous start.
#180 Bavaro Princess
29 June 2015 // Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
This honeymoon would not have been as enjoyable and easy without the generosity of my aunts who let us use their timeshare to stay at this beyond comfortable resort.
So... thank you Auntie Ella & Auntie Fely! If you ever wanna visit the DR, I know a place to stay I'd highly recommend.
#181 Honeymoon
30 June 2015 // Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
In the past I’ve never been the biggest fan of the idea of a resort… always a little more interested in the idea of meeting locals in the area where they actually lived, doing simple, everyday things like grocery shopping or haggling with cab drivers, or trying o rough my own way through rough terrain to get where I’m going.
But for the purpose of a honeymoon, an all inclusive resort was just perfect. After the (fun) chaos and hectic activity that surrounds a wedding, getting to go somewhere that required less thought allowed us to be with each other taking it easy and reflecting on the amazing day that just happened. All the cultural experiences and exploring that I usually love to do can and will be done. But for kicking off a marriage, I’m loving the low-key start. And all inclusive food and beverages is never ever a bad thing.